Protection attorneys have requested a choose to condemn the particular person accountable for serving to publish a faux message asserting regulatory approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds to roughly a yr in jail, countering prosecutors’ request for a two-year sentence.
In a Might 13 submitting within the US District Court docket for the District of Columbia, Eric Council Jr.’s authorized staff requested that he be sentenced to no a couple of yr and someday in jail following his responsible plea.
Council was a part of a bunch that took management of the US Securities and Trade Fee’s (SEC’s) X account in 2024 by a SIM swap assault, posting a message that steered the regulator had authorised spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund listings for the primary time.
“A sentence of twelve months and someday serves the ends of justice,” mentioned the Might 13 submitting. “It sufficiently punishes the defendant for his position on this case. It additionally promotes respect for the legislation and deters future felony conduct.”
Council initially pleaded not responsible to the costs, however modified his plea to responsible in February on one depend of conspiracy to commit aggravated identification theft and entry system fraud. The choose overseeing the case, Amy Berman Jackson, additionally ordered prosecutors to “establish the felony and level to the place that info could be discovered within the report” by Might 13.
Jail sentence between 1 and a couple of years?
The SEC hacker is scheduled to be sentenced on Might 16. Prosecutors requested the choose to impose a two-year sentence on Council, saying he “profited by a classy fraud scheme.” Court docket filings showed he earned roughly $50,000 by comparable SIM swap assaults.
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Although Council’s case was probably winding down along with his upcoming sentencing listening to, the DC courtroom district might quickly be below new management, probably affecting the prosecution of crypto-related instances. On Might 8, US President Donald Trump introduced that Fox Information host Jeanine Pirro would turn into the interim US legal professional for the District of Columbia.
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